Associate Editor Jared Paben has worked for Resource Recycling since December 2014. Most of his earlier career was spent as a reporter for the daily newspaper in Bellingham, Wash., but he also has experience working for the Oregon volunteerism commission and for Oregon nonprofits serving low-income populations. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Because of business and public drop-off site closures and public anxiety about virus transmission, e-scrap collections are down across North America. | Dan Leif/ Resource Recycling, Inc.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to major reductions in the collection of used consumer electronics across North America, with some e-scrap companies reporting volume drops up to 80%.
View of staging area for pallets of batteries at Battery and Electronics Recycling Inc. | Courtesy of U.S. E.P.A.
Because of the coronavirus, federal officials have suspended the cleanup of a former battery and e-scrap recycling facility in Wisconsin.
The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes $377 billion for small businesses. | ItzaVU/Shutterstock
The bipartisan stimulus bill signed into law by President Trump last week includes hundreds of billions of dollars in assistance to companies with fewer than 500 employees.
Business shutdowns and work-from-home orders around North America have made it difficult for many ITAD and e-scrap recycling companies to obtain material for processing. | Oleksandr Berezko/Shutterstock
A number of ITAD companies will fail, but those strong enough to survive coronavirus-related revenue losses will encounter post-pandemic advantages, an ITAD market analyst predicts.
E-scrap company eCycleSecure shipped over 7 million pounds of CRT materials to Closed Loop in Columbus, Ohio. | underworld/Shutterstock
A $900,000 settlement has been reached in the lawsuit over Closed Loop Refining and Recovery’s abandoned CRT materials in Ohio, the largest agreement yet.
Battery fires are an increasingly relevant concern for electronics recycling facilities. | zeyaman/Shutterstock
A recently published guidance document helps recycling facilities draft plans to avert and mitigate fires.
Repair resource company iFixit has launched an effort to crowdsource repair information for key medical devices. | egyjanek/Shutterstock
Usually busy helping people fix their consumer gadgets, iFixit has turned its attention to the emerging need to maintain and repair hospital equipment.
ITAD company EPC reported a sharp increase in demand for notebook, tablet and desktop PCs throughout the U.S. and Canada as the need to work from home grows. | Sally B/Shutterstock
Processors across the U.S. say the coronavirus and resulting work-from-home orders have energized the market for refurbished electronics. In some cases, they can’t keep up with the needs of customers.
The cause of the fire had not been determined and remains under investigation. | Torychemistry/Shutterstock
E-scrap processor Interco Trading says it’s open and operating normally after a large fire broke out in one of its warehouses last week.
